Radnor commissioners ask Villanova, other local colleges to pay up

RADNOR - Township commissioners voted Monday to “demand a formal response” from two universities and a college regarding its request for contributions in lieu of taxes.

If Cabrini College, Villanova University and Eastern University were not tax exempt they would be paying the township $940,676 in real estate taxes. Many non-profits around the country have already entered into agreements with municipalities for those sorts of payments, said William White, finance director. Both Valley Forge Military Academy and College and Barrack Hebrew Academy already take part in the Volunteer Contribution for Service Program.

“This is something we’ve been discussing for a number of years,” said township Manager Robert Zienkowski. The schools receive services from the township including police, fire fighting and public works but do not pay real estate taxes, said Zienkowski.

Commissioner John Fisher agreed that “it’s becoming quite common across the country for universities to make payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT). This is not a PILOT but very similar. Township services keep Radnor a great place for a university. They know they are tax exempt…I hope they will be good neighbors and cover our costs.”

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Commissioner Richard Booker asked, “How can you compel someone to give a response?” He noted there are no penalty provisions in the resolution.

Board President Elaine Schaefer responded, “It’s not voluntary if they have a penalty.”

The board also spent time discussing whether to move forward with proposals for a Mixed Use Special Transportation District (MUST) ordinance for the Planned Office Laboratory section of the township. At issue is whether to permit BioMed, which owns the old Wyeth Laboratory site at 145 King of Prussia Road to develop it as a MUST, which would increase the density. As proposed, it would allow an apartment building, offices, retail, and a restaurant, among other uses.

However, MUST proponents say it would decrease traffic by encouraging workers and residents to use mass transit rather than driving.

Schaefer said a consultant will be giving the board a report in a few months about the impact of the offices that BioMed might develop by-right. She noted that a previous consultant had begun work but “declined to finish.”

Schaefer added, there was “some taint in the process. Somebody involved reached out to this consultant. We are going to hire another independent consultant.”

Schaefer said increased traffic that would be generated by an all office plan was something the township hoped to avoid.

Except for Booker, the other five commissioners indicated a willingness to move forward with the MUST concept. Booker, who is the Ward 2 commissioner, where the BioMed property lies was less than eager to sign on to the MUST concept.

Booker said residents were concerned about traffic, but also other issues, such as height of the buildings, signs,

“There’s plenty of mixed uses that would be better than offices,” said Booker. “It’s all relative. In a vacuum, you can’t make that decision.”

Fisher said that any zoning change should “improve the quality of life for all residents.”

“The need for clinical development space has changed dramatically,” said Fisher. “What used to take labs the size of this room can now be done on a table top box...If we look at that site, it is somewhat tied up with existing zoning. If we want to create new opportunities, we need new ordinance like MUST.”

Commissioner James Higgins noted there was very little traffic now at the BioMed site since it is empty. He added that he could see “500 to 1,000 ants all going to the anthill in the morning and 500 to 1,000 ants all coming out at night.” He said the board needs to “get creative to help our citizens.”

Commissioner John Nagle, who favors the MUST, said that studies show that people are using mass transit more.

“People like to live where they work if possible. ..transit orient development is not new but is successful if done properly… the last thing I want to see is 2,00 cars on that site. We need to be creative. If there’s 2,000 cars, they are not all coming and going at rush hour.”

Booker argued, “We don’t need to have a MUST. There is nothing stopping any developer and the township from making an agreement. You have more faith than I do in the traffic mitigation. Why would we rush toward special legislation that has a chance of unintended consequences?”

Higgins said that a developer would have no incentive to give the township benefits if they have a legal right to build something on a site.

But Booker said that developers often have a “back and forth.”

“You’re trying to make the case this developer won’t do anything for us if we don’t give him everything he wants,” said Booker.

Schaefer said that developers tend to offer things to the township “when they need something from us.” But with the by-right offices “we are starting in a position of weakness. There is a right to do that without waivers.”

With the MUST, the township can require that BioMed pay for traffic improvements, she said.